| The Kalachakra tantra has been held sacred and | | | | the practices. |
| preserved in both India and Tibet for over 2500 | | | | The Kalachakra tantra is most commonly taught to |
| years. The Kalachakra tantra helps purify the body | | | | monks and other serious Buddhist practitioners after |
| and mind. Kalachakra literally means, Time wheel or | | | | a period of initiation. This initiation period prepares the |
| Time Circle. Some sections of the Kalachakra tantra | | | | practitioner to practice the Kalachakra tantra is their |
| have been lost over time, but the beginning parts of | | | | quest for Buddhahood. The Dalai Lamas are |
| this tantra still remain. The proper name for the | | | | particularly concerned with the Kalachakra practice, |
| Kalachakra tantra is the Kalachakra Laghuntantra. | | | | including the current Dalai Lama. The 14th Dalai Lama's |
| The Kalachakra tantra is thought to be the most | | | | kalachkra initiations are given to tens of thousands of |
| advanced form of Vajrayana Buddhism, and it is | | | | people at a time. |
| most prominent in the Jonang tradition of Tibetan | | | | There is an often misunderstood difference between |
| Buddhism. The circles of time are associated with the | | | | a tantra and a mantra. A tantra is a larger text that |
| rotations of the planets and moon cycles, breath | | | | gives detailed guidelines for spiritual practice. On the |
| cycles, and even the cycles of our bodies. | | | | other hand, a mantra is a combination of syllables |
| There are both inner and outer realms to the | | | | which, when chanted, provide a line between the |
| Kalachakra tantra. This idea of an inner realm and an | | | | practitioner and the divine to whom they are |
| outer realm is common in both Buddhism and | | | | chanting. Different mantras can call on different |
| Hinduism. The outer realm is also known as the gross | | | | deities for various purposes. |
| realm. The inner realm is also known as the subtle | | | | OM AH HUM HOH HAM KSHAH MA LA VA RA YA |
| realm. This consists of what is apparent on the | | | | HUM PHET. This is the Kalachakra mantra. The |
| surface. The inner realm consists of the interior | | | | Kalachakra mantra consists of the syllables shown |
| workings of things, such as the relationship of internal | | | | above. Om ah hum hoh are the first four syllables in |
| energies and the chakras. The inner and outer realm | | | | this mantra, and they are the vajra syllables of the |
| of the Kalachakra tantra can be thought of like the | | | | body, speech, mind, and wisdom, in that order. |
| relationship of body and mind and how these two | | | | Meditation on the first four syllables alone can lead to |
| correspond to one another. | | | | purification of the mind and body in preparation for |
| There are five chapters in the Kalachakra tantra. The | | | | enlightenment. |
| first two chapters deal with the outer realm and the | | | | In the condensed form of the mantra it is often |
| last three deal with the inner realm. The first chapter | | | | shortened to (Om ham ksha ma la va ra ya) or (Ham |
| is also known as the ground kalachakra, and it relates | | | | ksha ma la va ra ya). These letters are often seen |
| to the physical world. The second chapter refers to | | | | written on top of each other as in the kalachakra |
| the inner world. The third chapter concerns the | | | | mantra symbol. These seven symbols, along with the |
| preparation for the meditation practices. The fourth | | | | moon, the sun, and a flame make up the ten-fold |
| chapter is about the meditation itself, and the fifth | | | | powerful symbol, which is one of the most |
| chapter describes the enlightenment available from | | | | well-known Buddhist symbols. |